Young cast ‘Working’ for the summer at OCT

Thursday

Jul 28, 2011 at 12:01 AM

This weekend, the Ocala Civic Theatre presents four performances of this much-acclaimed musical homage.

By Rick AllenStaff writer

Since the Industrial Revolution in this country, the American worker has been the backbone of our society. From migrant worker to corporate exec, our jobs have been our lives in many cases.Back in the 1970s, Steven Schwartz and Nina Faso teamed to convert a book by the Everyman observer and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Studs Turkel — “Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do” — into a musical homage to the everyday working man and working woman.This weekend, beginning tonight, the Ocala Civic Theatre presents four performances of this much-acclaimed musical homage; the show stars 18 teens and young adults, most of whom weren’t even born when “Working” first debuted in Chicago in 1977. While “Working,” the musical, might be a bit out-of-date in its depictions of gender jobs, it nevertheless remains a testament to the quiet dignity with which we go about earning our daily bread.“It’s a very different kind of musical,” says OCT Musical Director Jason Bartosic. “It’s about real life, real-life situations, a conglomeration of stories about people in the work place.”Songs include “All The Livelong Day,” “The Mason,” “Neat to Be a Newsboy” and “Just A Housewife.” In most musicals, the songs help advance the plot — at least they do on the American stage. Yet in “Working,” the songs are more of a window into the soul and psyche of the worker. “They’re a part of their characters,” Bartosic adds. “Some are fun, some are poignant.”“Working” is the latest in a series of quick summer productions by young stage performers in our community. Last year, they presented “Footloose,” a 1998 stage musical based on the 1984 film starring Kevin Bacon.This year, the teens come to grips with employment, some of them learning about struggle for a paycheck through this production.“It really brought me down to earth,” says Monica Lucio, who plays a mill worker in the show. “I realized I’m so spoiled that I don’t have to do that.”Jonathan Williams, who opens the show as an ironworker proud of the city he helped build, is discovering firsthand this summer the joys and limitations of a paycheck; he says he’s working “part-time jobs.”“It’s interesting to see someone dependent on their jobs because a lot of us are still dependent on parents,” he says. “It’s interesting how much people rely on their jobs, especially when there’s a lot of joblessness out there.”Sam Dugger, meanwhile, is gaining insight into just how difficult teaching can be; he portrays a teacher. “As kids, we don’t give credit to how hard it is,” he says.Performed against a surreal, almost bleak cityscape, “Working” moves from vignette to vignette, the characters — from Kayla Williams’ always-happy parking attendant to Gregg Bleam’s driven CEO — touching each other’s lives, but only in superficial ways.As it says in promotional material, “it’s a celebration of all the people we meet, but never really see.”Yet each, from waitress to firefighter to housewife, is a crucial piece of the whole. “The kids have found the honor in what every single person does,” says director SuSu Sparkman. “This is an acting piece, a piece about everyday life, every person.“The challenge has been to mix nonfiction characters with real lives,” she adds.“I think the adults will appreciate the respect and work these young actors are doing to honor these characters.”Contact Rick Allen at rick.allen@starbanner.com.